


gravitational pulls

by keenkino



Series: ash seeketh ember [1]
Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Hybrids, M/M, Magic-Users, More characters to come, but thats in the second part, electromancer hongseok, hydromancer changgu, like the rest of ptg, pyromancer hyunggu, references to other groups, telepath jinho, witch hui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 11:03:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14747610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keenkino/pseuds/keenkino
Summary: maybe, it was fate. maybe they were supposed to be together. all of them. no matter what





	1. two in one

**Author's Note:**

> if you get confused, reference [this post](https://keenkino.tumblr.com/post/174220866807/in-the-city-streets-the-normal-world-collides) or send me a message. thank you for reading!

If Yuto ever said that he hated storms, call him a liar. He _loved_ them, but only at night, where he could cocoon himself in his duvet and watch the storm as it danced around the night sky, taking in all the noises of the night as he did so. It was one of the things he loved about his otherwise dingy living space, placed awkwardly on the edge of one of the rougher neighbourhoods in Busan. It was comfortable, _he_ was comfortable, but he always felt like something was missing. Being an unopenly gay man really did _not_ have its perks, and having no social life gave him no opportunities to meet new people. He had tried apps, like Tinder and Grindr, but all these amounted to be was some meaningless sex, which always left him unsatisfied. Truth be told, he wanted commitment, but it felt like nobody wanted to give it to him.

Tonight was a fairly normal night for Yuto, up late finishing a project for a client. He works full time as a web designer, making him enough money to survive with a reasonable amount of savings to put away – plus, he gets to work from home. Sighing, he powers down his work computer, staring into space until the screen fades to black, enjoying the silence before turning to his list of minor chores to be done before he turns in for the night. He tidies his work area in relative silence, the only noise being the gentle rumble from the nearby highway, the occasional rumble of thunder, and the pitter-patter of rain on the roof of his humble abode. Coming to the last task, which is _take the rubbish out,_ he sighs once more, disappointed that he has to go outside into the rain. Taking the bag out of the bin, he slips some shoes on before heading out the door, and as he does, he hears what is probably the most blood curdling scream he has ever heard in his life.

Which is a _big_ thing, considering where he lives. He just hopes he doesn’t come across whatever the commotion is on his journey a block down to the bins. He _almost_ makes it to the bins without any issue, until he comes face to face with source of the screaming. He was faced with a trio of men, obviously backing someone to a wall, that person sobbing and hissing as the assailants discuss what they’re going to do to them.

_A hiss?_

_A hiss…a hybrid? Oh._

It is at this point, that the entire gravity of the situation in front of him changes, and a quick glance at the boy quite literally curling into the brick wall behind him confirm it, and then Yuto _understands._ These men weren’t just trying to scare the poor boy, they were most likely trying to kidnap him and take him into a Hybrid Trafficking Ring, where he would most probably endure year upon year of abuse before he either got adopted or thrown back out onto the street.

Which is the thing Yuto will _never_ understand. Hybrids were a naturally occurring phenomenon, and people treated them _so_ badly that it did nothing but anger him. People saw them like pets, like property to be owned, as expendable toys for consumption. Yuto would, again, be a liar if he said that he’d never thought about looking into getting a hybrid, but he’d always feel like he was part of the problem he hated so vehemently. He liked the sound of having one though, purely because it gave him something to protect and care for, which is _exactly_ what he wanted. He just couldn’t move himself past the preconceived notions of having a hybrid connected to him.

Yuto’s feeling changes too, going from scared to angry to protective, and then back to angry again. He feels his blood run cold before running white hot, and before he can stop himself, he’s putting the bin bag down, powerwalking to stand directly behind the leader of the trio. In one swift motion, he grabs the back of this guy’s shirt collar, yanking him backwards, and slams him against the wall adjacent.

“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?” Yuto tries to growl it out but his voice is shaking too much for that. He’s concerned, worried, downright terrified for the boy they’re trying to attack.

“Just trying to show this little _bitch_ his place” he man tries to argue back, spitting at Yuto’s face as he manages to growl.

And then Yuto loses it. He doesn’t realise that the other two have scarpered, leaving the hybrid in question in a pile of shakes and tears on the floor, but Yuto doesn’t notice. He’s too caught up trying dodge punch after kick whilst trying to land a few hits of his own, and it doesn’t take long for the other man to get the message and run too. Yuto, still trying to come down from the anger and adrenaline, now turns his attention back to the person – hybrid – on the floor, who is now looking up at him, black eye and tear tracks prominent on his face.

“Hey…. are you okay” Yuto tries to ask as softly as he can, but he senses that he’s likely too angry to sound completely soft. It seems to work somewhat, as the boy in question’s face softens slightly, before his ears start to stick up a little.

“I-I’ve b-been better” the boy struggles to spit out before another sob bubbles out of his mouth. Immediately, Yuto is at his side, asking him if its okay for him to touch, and before an affirmative answer can even be given, the other boy is burying himself into Yuto’s arms.

“What’s your name? we should get you out of the rain” Yuto says. Truthfully, Yuto didn’t want to be outside in this for any longer than he had to be, and he couldn’t bear to leave this boy out in it.

“I’m Hyunggu. Kang Hyunggu. Whats yours?” _Hyunggu_ , Yuto thinks, trying to store it in the safest part of his brain.

“Yuto. Adachi Yuto.” Yuto parrots in the same way that Hyunggu said it to him, before realising that he should probably clarify that he _isn’t_ Korean. “I’m from Japan”

“I worked that out” _wow._ 5 minutes ago, Yuto almost beat someone to a pulp keeping him safe and he’s _already_ being sassy with him. _How nice_ , he thinks, chucking slightly.

“Come on, lets get you inside” Yuto says, helping Hyunggu to his feet. He breathes a sigh of relief as he notices that he can walk without trouble, before also noticing that Hyunggu _doesn’t_ have a tail. He gets Hyunggu into his house as soon as possible, before instructing him to go use the bathroom, providing him some dry towels to use. As he waits for Hyunggu to finish up in the shower, he goes about making him something to eat, settling on a packet of instant ramen. _Boy must be starving._

Within 20 minutes, Hyunggu emerges from the bathroom, looking way more refreshed than he did previously. The tear tracks are gone from his face and the only remenant of his troubles was the bruise around his left eye, and just looking at it sends Yuto into an emotional frenzy.

“I made you food” Yuto says, pushing the bowl in his direction.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to though” Hyunggu replies, slightly smiling as he finishes his sentence. As he smiles, Yuto basically feels his heart jump out of his chest, because _holy shit_ Hyunggu is probably the most adorable being that he’s ever seen in his whole entire life up until this point.

Yuto’s fervent flustering is cut through abruptly by the hand waving in his face.

“Thank you, for you know, probably saving my life” he begins, teary eyed to the point that he looks like he’s about to burst into tears. “I don’t know what they wanted to do to me but I guess it wasn’t anything good because I’m a hybrid and I know I’m only supposed to be a toy for people to play with, a pe-“

Before Hyunggu could even think about finishing his little speech, imepeded greatly by the downwards spiral he was obviously locked in, Yuto interjects. “Hey, don’t say that about yourself” Yuto starts, withdrawing slightly, not really knowing where to go next. “You’re worth so much more than that”, because he _does._ Hyunggu already deserved the world, at least to Yuto anyway.

“But nobody would want a Hybrid who thinks something of themselves. We’re supposed-“

Yuto once again, interjects before Hyunggu can say something that would just make him angry. “They will. Trust me”

“Would you want me?” Hyunggu asks quietly, hoping Yuto cant hear him. Yuto does.

“Maybe. Maybe once we get to know eachother a little better” Hyunggu’s face immediately turns red and he’s hiding behind his hands, which Yuto just finds endearing. “I’m not gonna deny it, you’re cute, and I definitely feel some sort of pull towards you”.

He’s telling the truth, and goes about offering Hyunggu his phone number, which is shyly accepted. He’s 90% sure he’s blushing but Hyunggu just becomes a giggly, blushing mess as he quickly types his phone number out onto Yuto’s phone.

They share some giggles between them, before Yuto starts to make a bit of small talk. He finds that Hyunggu is a fox hybrid, but the genetic mutation that caused it didn’t give him a tail, just the ears and a very keen sense of smell. That’s natural, at least according to Hyunggu. Yuto also learns that Hyunggu has basically been on his own since his mid-teen years, after his parents left him at school and never returned, that Hyunggu has his own place, and has a steady job working at the convience store a couple streets away. He is _barely_ younger than Yuto (by 4 days), and Yuto almost teasingly asks for him to call him _hyung,_ but doesn’t.

In return, Yuto tells him all about what he does for a living. How the works with _fairly_ high profile clients, designing websites and developing their online presence. He _purposely_ leaves out the amount of money he makes, deeming it not important for now. He tells Hyunggu about the family he left behind in Japan, how they refused to talk to him after he told them of his sexual preferences, and learns that Hyunggu is bisexual, but never got the chance to tell his parents. Yuto, for some reason, doesn’t cry like he _expected_ to. He misses his family a lot, but never felt the need to find a new one. Maybe Hyunggu could be the start of a new family.

An hour or two passes before Yuto decides to get Hyunggu home, but not on his own. Yuto is unlikely to sleep well if he doesn’t know that Hyunggu gets home safe.

“Come on, lets get you home”

“I can do it myself…I won’t get into trouble, I promise”

“Nope, I’m driving”

“You have a car?”

“Sure do. Come on”

He walks Hyunggu round to the the back of his house, and motions for him to get into his car. It’s a fairly large car, sitting high off the ground and he almost has to help the younger get in. Getting in on his side, he brings the car to life, before setting off for Hyunggu’s place.

His place ends up being a couple blocks north-west of Yuto’s house, not quite as close to the rough areas as he lived. It was small, but otherwise very homely, consisting of 1 room and a bathroom. Instead of exploring however, he simply leaves Hyunggu at the door with a hug (that didn’t last any longer than it should have, he swears), and promises to text Hyunggu when he wakes up.

As he drives home, he ponders what Hyunggu has in store for him. He’s excited, and Hyunggu is too. Probably. Yuto doesn’t know. Yuto doesn’t _need_ to know.

Getting home, he parks up in his normal space, before scurrying across to his door, eager to get into bed. He ends up falling asleep with 1 thing on his mind. _Hyunggu. Hyunggu. Hyunggu._

During the night, Yuto wakes multiple times in a cold sweat, his brain coming up with what might have happened to Hyunggu if it wasn’t for him. He can’t bear to think about it. He can’t think about it. He can’t. Hyunggu might have been dead by this point if it wasn’t for his intervention.

He ends up waking properly around 10am, and he doesn’t even need to think about picking his phone up to send Hyunggu a text.

**[10:04] To: Hyunggu (the hybrid)**

**Good Morning!! I hope you slept well**

He need not wait long for a reply.

**[10:07] From: Hyunggu (the hybrid)**

**I slept well thank you! I hope you slept well too!**

Yuto doesn’t want to answer that question. He doesn’t want Hyunggu to know that he was up most of the night thinking about what could have happened if he had just chose to ignore his screaming. It’s actually only _now_ that he realises that it _was_ Hyunggu who made that scream and he doesn’t think he ever wants to hear it again. So, he decides to lie.

**[10:09] To: Hyunggu (the hybrid)**

**I slept well too!**

**I hope you’re feeling okay after last night**

**[10:10] From: Hyunggu (the hybrid)**

**I feel better. So much better**

**Thank you for saving me. thank you.**

**Wanna come over later? I don’t have work today.**

Upon reading those messages, Yuto’s heart jumps from his chest to his throat. He decides to just _fuck it_ and tells Hyunggu that he’ll be around at 12 with his car to take them into the city. It was very nice outside, a beautiful spring day and he needed an excuse to go down to the seafront, and Hyunggu provided just that.

As soon as Hyunggu replies with a quick **okay! I should get ready, see you soon!!,** Yuto begins to ready himself, and he can’t help but wonder if he just asked Hyunggu out on a _date._

Trying to push it to the back of his mind, he picks out something to wear. He (eventually) settles on some black jeans and a white t-shirt, tugging a dark denim jacket over it so he wouldn’t get cold. He won’t deny that he wants to look good for Hyunggu, and _only_ for Hyunggu. He doesn’t even want to pick apart what that even means. His best guess, is that he’s already falling for him. He wonders what Hyunggu meant when he said “Would you want me?”. Does he like Yuto? Or does Yuto make him feel safe? Both? Neither? Yuto realises that he _wants_ it to be both. He wants Hyunggu to come home from a shift at work and curl up in his arms and fall asleep. He wants Hyunggu to be safe under his protection, wants Hyunggu to be _his._ He didn’t know he could fall for someone so fast. But here he was.

He leaves for Hyunggu’s house 20 minutes earlier than he really needed to, but he ends up sitting in the car being assaulted by the butterflies in his stomach, and he swears he’s going to swallow a fucking bomb, but not before he sucks it the fuck up and gets the car going to Hyunggu’s house.

Hyunggu is already waiting outside the front door when Yuto shows up, and Yuto is essentially lost for words. Hyunggu notices Yuto’s car, smiles, waves like an excited child, and Yuto can’t help but wave back. He then notices Hyunggu’s outfit, consisting of a grey sweatshirt, black jeans, and a blue and yellow flannel shirt tied around his waist, and he’s smitten once again. He can’t help but notice the bright yellow snapback adorning his head either, and instantly decides that yellow is most definitely his colour. He pulls up, and lets Hyunggu climb in next to him.

“Hey Yuto!” he babbles, like an excited child. “Sorry I’m so early” he continues, obviously trying to get the nerves out of his system before they can completely overwhelm him.

“it’s fine, I promise” Yuto tries to sound as if he’s not currently on the brink of turning into a puddle in the footwell of his car, because Hyunggu seems to be even more adorable up close. “You look nice today” Yuto continues, sounding slightly unsure of himself as he stumbles over the words. “I like your hat” he says, trying not to embarrass himself even more than he probably already has.

“Thanks! I had to cut the ear holes myself because they didn’t cater to hybrids where I bought it, but I just _really_ like the colour” Yuto agreed, he really likes the colour yellow on him, and begins to wonder how much of his wardrobe had the colour yellow in it.

“It suits you” Yuto says. Hyunggu can only blush and mumble a quiet thank you before they set off for the city centre. The traffic is pretty light, which is weird for the middle of of a weekday, and they find somewhere to park in a record time for the centre of a busy city. Neither of them are complaining though.

First job, lunch. They settle for mcdonalds, and Yuto offers to pay, which just gets shrugged off because “I make my own money, hyung”. _Hyung._ It’s the first time that Hyunggu has called Yuto that, and he thinks it might have been done on purpose, just to tease him.

He realises, at this point, just how decisive Hyunggu is, deciding _and_ ordering at a speed at which he’s never seen before. He takes _much_ longer, like, a whole 30 seconds, and most of that is just Hyunggu trying to force him to _just pick something_ because he’s _taking such a long time._ He doesn’t find Hyunggu any less endearing though, more if anything. They take bites of their food between lines of conversation.

Yuto doesn’t think he’s ever felt more comfortable with someone in his entire life.

Next, they take a wander up and down the seafront. Hyunggu stops to take photos every couple minutes and when Yuto asks why, he says “I’m collecting memories”, and Yuto can’t work out exactly what that means. They go into the local park, where Hyunggu spends a slightly impressive time fawning over the wild animals that they see. They move on to a café, where Yuto _finally_ gets Hyunggu to let him buy something for him, and Yuto decides to ask a slightly more serious question.

“So, what _are_ hybrids exactly?”, and Hyunggu begins to talk, and Yuto learns. He learns that hybrids aren’t caused by beastiality, as some rumours would suggest, but are nothing more than a rare genetic mutation that gives people characteristics of an animal, most commonly a cat or a dog. Hybrids don’t present as such until their teenage years – providing an unfortunate answer to something Hyunggu had left unanswered from the night before, and that hybrids _always_ had working human ears, and the other ears weren’t actually functional at all – “it’s basically like being a permanent furry”, he jokes. Yuto snorts, loud enough that the entire café turns in their direction.

He also learns some other random hybrid related information, like how female hybrids are considerably more fertile than female humans, and that the way he explained that was _technically_ wrong because hybrids were essentially human. Yuto also asks if he’s aware of the Hybrid Trafficking Rings that were active in basically every major city in the country. Yuto breathes a sigh of relief when Hyunggu says that he does, and that he takes extra special care when getting home from work.

“If you need a lift, you know you can call me right?”

“If that’s okay with you”

“I’m awake anyway, and it means I get to see you”, Yuto says over the rim of his mug, and Hyunggu _giggles_ and blushes so hard he has to look away. Yuto could really get used to this. “Besides, I just can’t help myself when it comes to protecting you” Hyunggu blushes an even deeper shade of crimson at that.

They experience an uncomfortable amount of stares from random passerbys, probably because Hyunggu, a hybrid, an _attractive_ one at that, was out with Yuto, a ‘normal’ human, without a collar on, which made Yuto feel sick to his stomach.

Hyunggu, and every other hybrid in existence, deserved more than just to be _owned._ Deserved more than to be shipped away from their homes just because someone else saw fit. More than to be collared, bargained for and sold like products. If you asked Yuto, at least _now_ anyway, he’d say that he was at least semi-committed to the cause of hybrid protection. Giving them loving homes instead of homes where they became nothing but glorified sex toys, homes in which they were valued and cared for – not slavery, not suffering, but pure and unadulterated love. Hyunggu, somehow, had changed his entire world view faster than the world could even turn, and Yuto was _happy_ about it.

Their afternoon together came to a close as the sun went down, and they left the city centre for their homes on the outskirts, making a short detour to the Gwangandaegyo Bridge. This was a pseudo-tradition for Yuto, no trip into the city seemed to be complete without at least crossing this bridge once, allowing for a small amount of time to take the view of the ocean in. Hyunggu on the other hand, got to experience the view the entire time, and he seemed entranced, apart from the occasional photo. Coming off the bridge at the far end, they navigate the city streets back to their neighbourhood, and Yuto bids Hyunggu goodnight with a hug once again.

When _he_ gets home, he becomes a mushy mess, because he just spent the day with the cutest boy in his universe, and decides there and then that he’d persue a relationship with Hyunggu, as long as he was okay with that.

He has to talk to Hyunggu about this at _some point,_ but he decides to leave it until they’ve gotten properly comfortable with eachother.

The next month or so follows in the exact same way. Except it feels like they’re seeing eachother more and more often, Yuto picking him up from work _every_ shift without fail, or hanging out together on their down days. He learns more about Hyunggu too, like how he’s from Ansan and _not_ from Busan, moving here at the age of 18 in a fit of desperation due to harassment in his hometown. This prompts Yuto to tell his story of how he ended up here, how he came for uni, dropping out, returning to his native Japan for a while before deciding to move back. He explains that, for a _hybrid_ at least, he’s incredibly lucky to have a job, as most are just sidelined by potential employers in preference of ‘human’ candidates.

Almost exactly a month after they met, Yuto decides to ask. He couldn’t handle falling for him more and more, just to get thrown aside.

“Hey Hyunggu, can we talk a minute”

“Sure”

“I was just thinking. Do you want to maybe try dating, or something” Yuto begins to trail off before Hyunggu perks up. The ears on the top of his head shooting up as he inches closer to him. He’s smiling, which very obviously indicates a positive response. Yuto smiles back, unable to help the blush that is blooming across his face.

Hyunggu flushes, and then so does Yuto, and then Hyunggu is burying himself in Yuto’s lap. “Of course! I was kinda waiting for you to ask actually” he says, happy and content, rubbing his head against Yuto’s chest as Yuto gives the patches of scalp behind his ears a good scratching.

Yuto can’t help himself, and he peppers a load of featherlight kisses onto Hyunggu’s cheek. Then, very carefully, he turns Hyunggu’s face towards his own, resting their foreheads together, and goes in for a gentle kiss on the lips. When he pulls away, he sees Hyunggu smiling back at him, happy, content, _safe._

And that’s all Yuto could ever want.

“So, do you wanna stay over tonight?”

“of course”

Hyunggu turns out, despite his fierce independence, to be _quite_ the cuddler. They lay intertwined with eachother on Yuto’s bed for what seems like an eternity, talking about everything and anything until it’s time to go to sleep. Yuto very quickly learns all of Hyunggu’s sweet spots, how he always untenses when his fox ears are massaged. How all the muscles in his body basically turn to jelly if you rub his stomach in a certain way, how Hyunggu _really_ loves to suck on his own thumb. Yuto wouldn’t encourage it, if he wasn’t so enamoured.

At Hyunggu’s insistence, Yuto makes sure the door is locked about 10 times, because “Remember how we met”. Yuto would rather _not remember_ but he can’t, now that he’s made a serious vow to keep Hyunggu safe. He half runs back to bed, before gathering Hyunggu in his arms, kissing him on the temple, and they fall asleep to the sound of eachother breathing.

Waking up to Hyunggu, still sleeping in his arms, is the closest to heaven that he’s ever been. He’s delightfully _dewy_ and so peaceful it brings a fond smile to Yuto’s face. His ears flat against his head and Yuto can’t help but nuzzle into the top of his head, trying to be gentle enough that he doesn’t wake him.

He fails.

Hyunggu blinks a few times, mumbles a quiet “Good Morning”, and then burys his face back into Yuto’s chest. On instinct, he tightens his grip, and begins to coax him out of bed, it’s 11am after all. It takes him _nearly_ an hour, but he manages.

Hyunggu goes home at about 3pm, and their regular cycle continues until all of Hyunggu’s stuff is basically at Yuto’s place, and then, 3 months after getting together, they move in _together._ Yuto wonders if theyre moving _too fast_ but stops himself, realising that Hyunggu is a _hybrid_ after all, and they bond with people a lot faster. Besides, he’s not gonna complain about waking up to a cute boy every morning. Hyunggu moves in, sells his place, and they settle into another comfortable cycle.

It’s 5 months after Hyunggu moves in, that Yuto discovers another _big_ secret.

He doesn’t mean to see, honestly. He was just coming back in from running some errands when he sees Hyunggu sitting at their kitchen counter, plumes of fire dancing between his fingers.

“Hyunggu?” Yuto asks, almost unsure of his own voice, and Hyunggu snaps to meet his gaze, standing up, and beginning to back away.

“I’m sorry” he says, sobbing quietly. “I’m sorry” he says again, becoming more and more desperate to get a hold of his feelings.

Yuto is completely, and utterly, terrified at the state that his beloved Hyunggu has turned himself into _._ He never wants to see him so scared, _ever_ again.

“You’re a magic user?” Yuto asks, desperate for some sort of clarification.

 _Magic User._ Probably the most hated subsection of people on the entire planet. They were viewed as evil creatures, barely human, who existed to do nothing but cause harm to people. Yuto never got that _either,_ but he especially didn’t get _it_ looking at Hyunggu. Hyunggu wouldn’t hurt a _fly_ as far as Yuto was aware, and at the end of the day, hybrid and magic user indeed, he _was_ still Hyunggu.

“Don’t hate me.. please” Hyunggu is full on crying at this point, ears flat against his head and entire body shaking. Yuto wastes absolutely no time in making his way over to Hyunggu, heart swelling in his chest as he notices the lack of flinching.

“Hyunggu, baby. I don’t hate you. I could never” Hyunggu throws himself into Yuto’s arms at this, wailing. Yuto holds him in his arms, whispering short praises into his ears as he comes back down to earth.

“but we need to talk about it” he says, Hyunggu now calm enough to talk properly. Hyunggu begins to talk. He explains that he is a pyromancer, descended from a long family line of them, that his abilities came in when he was 7 or 8 years old. Most intriguingly, he also explains that _that_ was the source of the harassment in his native Ansan, and that he moved to Busan as witch hunts back home gained momentum.

Hyunggu basically became the strongest person Yuto has ever met, and ever will meet.

Yuto can’t help but feel guilty for not noticing though, as all the signs were _there,_ with the way that he always became uncomfortable when he saw anti-magic propaganda on the TV or on the radio, the way that he now _refused_ to go out at night, just in case someone found out. He originally thought that it was only the hybrid rings that he was scared of, but now understood that he basically risked his life every time he went outside.

Yuto, once again, vows (with himself) to protect Hyunggu. Whatever the cost.

The inquisition movements had their ups and downs, and how strong they were depended very heavily on where you were. But they _were_ vocal about what they were doing. So they had that as an advantage, they could just run the moment it surges in Busan, and go somewhere else until it died down. Yuto had the privilege of basically being able to work wherever he had access to the internet, but Hyunggu did not. But Hyunggu had already agreed that he’d quit his job if it came to it, because at the end of the day, Yuto’s money was consistent and his savings were large enough to hold them over until Hyunggu could find new work.

For now, anyway, they could just hope that an insurgency wouldn’t happen any time soon.

And it didn’t.

Whilst the coast was clear, Hyunggu began to work on _himself_ a little. He started to try and deal with the anxiety that built up over years of being both a hybrid _and_ a magic user. He buys himself a weighted blanket, just so he could stop bothering Yuto whilst he was working because he’d got himself into an anxious frenzy. He began to work on his pyromancies a little more, because he was no longer ashamed of doing it around Yuto, and soon enough, he was fairly competent with manipulating smoke and fire for various purposes. Some useful, like as a source of light and heat in the dark, when the city was sleeping. Yuto really enjoyed that, the light of his lover’s flame lighting up the room just enough so they could see, and take in the view, but not so much that it would destroy it (or burn their house down). Hyunggu also liked using it to annoy Yuto, like how on occasion he would form a cloud of smoke in their kitchen, tricking Yuto into thinking that he’d burnt dinner.

Yuto would always act annoyed. Again, he was a _liar_ , and he actually finds it hilarious. Don’t tell Hyunggu.

They got to know eachother a lot more _intimately too,_ and Yuto discovers that as independent as Hyunggu likes to be, he’s _really_ submissive. He’d get into a headspace where he’d listen to every single word Yuto says, eyes blown wide open as he scrambles to comply. That Hyunggu likes to be roughed around a little, likes to be teased and _degraded_ – but Yuto never goes too far with the last one, never wanting to use his status as both a hybrid and a magic user against him. Yuto loves it, loves everything about tearing Hyunggu to pieces before putting him back together again. He loves the sounds he makes (when Yuto lets him anyway), as he’s driven up the wall with teasing before Yuto pounds him into the mattress. He loves the way that after it’s all over, and Hyunggu’s returned to his normal self, he still looks at him with heart eyes. Still comes looking for contact and affection. Still shoots him lazy grins as he makes dinner. They’ve bonded, like people are supposed to do with hybrids, and that’s how they know it’s real. Yuto wonders how he got so lucky.

They continued like _normal_ , beyond the summer, into the autumn, and then the winter, and as they entered spring of the following year, almost a year after meeting, they guessed that an insurgency was unlikely to ever happen.

But then it did.

It wasn’t like they weren’t aware of it happening. They saw the sudden increase of advertising for anti-magical organisations on both the TV on the street, and in the air of the city seemed to tense a little. But nothing could have prepared them quite enough for the leaflet that came through the door.

It was about a _hunt. A witch hunt._ The leaflet said it was in a week. That this neighbourhood would be turned upside down, looking for magic users, and they would be ‘dealt’ with. They both knew exactly what that meant. _Certain death._ The inquisition movements weren’t shy about admitting to that. They were aware that this could have just been an imtimidation tactic, trying to cleanse this part of Busan of the ‘unpure’, _but_ it had been a very long time since they’d even been worried about any harm being done. But they also knew that it wasn’t the best time to take chances. They had to do what they’d planned, but never expected, to do.

Within 3 days, Hyunggu had given the shop his resignation notice, only to find out that the owner of the shop was _also_ a magic user (an electromancer, no less), and after being left the same leaflet, had decided to shut up shop completely and move somewhere else. This was definitely _convienient_ for Hyunggu but also did nothing but stir his anxiety up even more – because other magic users were fleeing. Which means that there might be something even _bigger_ going on. He hoped not. He was barely coping as it was.

Within 5 days, they’d basically packed all of their possessions into boxes and cases, apart from some bedding, clothes, and Yuto’s work computer (and all of their furniture, not like that was going with them). All that was left, was to pack it into the car and go, which they had planned for the night of the hunt. Running in the dead of night was a cliché, but they knew they’d be way safer that way, and it suited them. All that they could do, for now, is wait in nervous anticipation as Yuto looks for somewhere temporary to call home, eventually settling on somewhere in the outskirts of Seoul. Happy, and deposit paid, he starts to pack up his work computer, wondering how they’re gonna fit all of their stuff into his car.

They manage it eventually, after packing and repacking Yuto’s car about 5 times, and Yuto is just happy that he can actually _see_ out of the rear window. Now comes the waiting game, for the perfect time to leave.

It comes at about 1am, on the morning of the hunt. They begin to hear faint chanting, mixed with screaming, emanating from the other side of the neighbourhood. They don’t have to guess what it is. They know _now_ is the time. Without saying a word, they pack up the last of their bedding, before checking the place once over. They pick up their bags, already packed with everything that they need, and they both exit the front door, and with a heavy heart, Yuto locks it behind them – not knowing if they were ever going to return.

Hyunggu is shaking, a _lot,_ even for him. His hands are trembling as he opens the car door and his legs are barely able to support himself as he half jumps into the passenger seat, immediately pulling his blanket up to his shoulders. It’s only then, that he calms down a little.

“Ready?” Yuto says, trying to hide the nervousness – neither of them know whats going to happen, only that Hyunggu is running for his _life,_ and Yuto is going with him.

“Ready.” Is the only reply that Hyunggu can muster, and Yuto sets off into the darkness.

They drive in complete silence, until they come across a mob of people. Hyunggu tenses, and hides himself under the blanket currently placed across his lap.

“Hyunggu, we’ll be okay, I’ll make sure of it” Yuto whispers, continuing to edge towards the crowd as they disappear into a side street. It is only now that he notices the torches they are carrying, with flames eerily similar to the ones Hyunggu can make dance around his fingers. He swallows, hopefully not loud enough for Hyunggu to hear, and speeds up a little, trying to get out of Busan a lot faster than he originally intended.

The moment they pass the city limit, Hyunggu seems to untense completely. They hit the interstate, Yuto opting to drive a little faster than he usually would, just to put enough distance between the two of them and the city as soon as possible. They begin to journey north, eventually stopping at a motel about a 90 minute drive from where they began.

They get a room, and the moment the door shuts behind them, Hyunggu bursts into tears. As always, Yuto is right there, and as always, Hyunggu buries himself into his awaiting arms.

“Whats wrong, baby?” Yuto tries to whisper, but his voice shakes so much it makes it hard to be understood properly. Hyunggu keens at the pet name, and looks up at him with teary eyes.

“I’m scared” _of what._ “I feel like a coward” his voice is _remarkably_ calm considering the state he’s in. Truth be told, Hyunggu is the polar opposite of a coward, he’s strong, and arguably the most resilient person Yuto has ever met. Yuto gently begins to rub the ears atop his head, trying to do something to ground him, to remind Hyunggu that he’s there – he’s not gonna leave.

“You’re the furthest thing” Yuto whispers. He’s telling the truth. “We’re doing what we need to do” _We. Hyunggu isn’t on his own anymore._ Realisation dawns on Hyunggu, and he sits up a little, and presses a smattering of kisses onto Yuto’s face.

“I love you.” Hyunggu looks away, and then back to meet Yuto directly in the eyes. “so much” its much quieter this time, but it doesn’t mean he means it any less.

Yuto can’t stop himself from bringing a hand up to massage the ears that were half erect on the top of his head, before bringing Hyunggu in for a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips. “and I love you too, baby”, Yuto says, pressing his forehead against the younger’s. “I’d do anything for you”, and Yuto means it.   _He really does._

Hyunggu can’t help but nuzzle into his neck, as Yuto’s arms snake their way around his waist. They stay like that for a while, before Yuto decides its time to sleep. Hyunggu doesn’t let go though. Turning off the bedside light, Yuto whispers some words of encouragement and praise as he pulls the other into his chest. Hyunggu is away in dreamland almost instantly, and Yuto can’t help but admiring his boyfriend’s face, kissing his forehead, and following suit.

They wake with the sunrise, or at least Yuto does. He can’t help but stare at Hyunggu as he rises from his slumber, and indulges him in some morning cuddles until it’s a good time to get going for the day. They both shower and change, and after making sure that they have all their stuff, they check out, and hit the road again.

Hyunggu seems more relaxed now that they’ve _really_ gotten going on their little adventure, staring out of the window at the passing scenery as if it’s a piece of fine art. They stop every now and again, first at a little diner off the interstate for breakfast, Yuto going with a coffee and a croissant and Hyunggu going for a hot cocoa and a bacon sandwich. Their breakfast, like every other meal they share, is accompanied by conversation, and a _lot_ of Hyunggu wanting to know exactly how long it’s going to take them to reach this new place. Neither of them even _think_ about checking the news to see what went down in Busan overnight. They were just happy to not have been involved. To be away and safe.

Then they stop at a small nature reserve, to stretch their legs a little. It is here that Yuto decides to check the news in Busan, and he immediately wishes he hadn’t.

**BREAKING: _Mass Destruction in Busan as Witch Hunt becomes a riot_**

Their entire neighbourhood had basically been destroyed. Burnt to the ground. Only ash and ember left. He remembers leaving their house the night before, the way it felt to lock that door not knowing if he’d ever unlock it again.

Turns out he wouldn’t.

They truly _were_ adrift now. Nowhere to go back to. Yuto _wanted_ to be strong, wanted to just think of this as a new beginning. But he couldn’t. The place where all of his most cherished memories happened, all with Hyunggu, was now _gone._

Instantly, as if they were very intimately connected to eachother (they were), Hyunggu noticed something was up.

“Yuyu?” Hyunggu says, and Yuto giggles, albeit it very sadly, at the nickname. He doesn’t even have to reply, passing his phone over. Hyunggu gapes at the headline alone, obviously not knowing how to process it either.

_Nowhere to go back to._

But they had eachother. They both knew that. No force on _earth_ could keep them apart.

Yuto was crying a little. He couldn’t help it. That was his, no _their_ , home, and it was gone. He was just happy that they’d gotten out.

“Yuyu” Hyunggu says once again, getting close enough to bring him in for a hug. “We’ll always have eachother right” Yuto nods. “That’s what matters. I don’t care where we are or what happens, but I know that as long as we’re together, we’ll find a way” Hyunggu speaks without so much of a _breath,_ sounding like he’s been practicing that little speech forever, and then Yuto _gets it._

Hyunggu, his one and only love, isn’t going anywhere. Neither is he. They’d find a way. They’d live a good life _together,_ they’d make it.

“I love you” is all Yuto can say. He wipes his eyes, brings Hyunggu in for a hug, kisses him deeply against the side of their car. Hyunggu, for _once,_ is the first to pull away.

“I love you too” Yuto blushes. “Don’t you ever forget that”

Yuto wont. He couldn’t.


	2. 2+3=10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wonders if any of them, apart from Hongseok and Shinwon, had run from anything – ran for their lives in the middle of the night, locking a door to a place that holds memory upon memory, only to never return.

They stay at the nature reserve for a little longer than they originally planned, not wanting to continue driving until they’d completely dealt with their situation. Hyunggu lets Yuto cry on his shoulder for what seems like _hours_ until he’s calmed down enough to be rational about it. They contact the owner of the place in Seoul, to let them know that it will now be a long term tenancy, which is fastly accepted. They make a list of the documents they need to change their address on. It feels like they’re moving house, but it’s not like that at all. They don’t have a choice. Busan _definitely_ isnt safe for Hyunggu (or _any_ magic user, _any_ hybrid for that matter) anymore.

Both of them are scared yet excited. This is a new life, a new beginning – a chance to _actually_ connect with the world around them, something they’d failed to do whilst living in Busan. Their hearts now light, no longer heavy with the burden of having no home, instead full of the anticipation of heading towards a new one. It’s this that prompts them to press forward.

They head towards their new life with hope in their hearts. They drive onwards, talking about the things they need to do, the things they want to do, Hyunggu’s hand covering Yuto’s inbetween the seats.

As they near the limits of Seoul, they look up the address of the place where they’re staying, plug it into the sat nav on Hyunggu’s phone, and follow that to their destination. Of course, the unfamiliar city’s streets confuse Yuto a little, getting lost a few times before pulling into the car park of their new building. They meet their new landlord outside, who doesn’t even look _twice_ at Hyunggu, gives Yuto the keys, and then leaves again. Hyunggu, understandably, is nervous, attached to Yuto’s upper arm as he negotiates with the other man. The faint _tut_ from their new landlord as he leaves doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I wonder what his problem is” Yuto asks, hoping that Hyunggu has at least _some_ answers.

“It’s probably because, you know, I’m an _uncollared_ hybrid, moving into a _one bedroom_ apartment with someone who I was practically hanging off” he says, almost dissimisively, as if he doesn’t even care. “That’s _his_ problem”.

“You bet it is”, Yuto says, laughing, happy that his boyfriend had at least stopped caring so _much_ about what other people thought of their relationship. “Now, I hope you’re not too tired because we have to move all this stuff in now”

“Now that you mention it, I’m _really tired,_ I could use a lie down” Hyunggu pouts, and Yuto _almost_ gives in.

“We can go to sleep after we’ve moved the stuff in. We don’t need to unpack today” Yuto has a point, they spent so long at the nature reserve that it’s now too late to actually do _much_ but get the stuff in from their car. Handing Hyunggu _his_ key, he takes a couple of their bags out of the boot, and follows Hyunggu upstairs to the apartment, door already unlocked, _his_ hybrid probably already eagerly exploring their new living quarters.

_His hybrid,_ Yuto thinks. He’s never really thought of it that way before, but his internal dialogue has a point. They’ve bonded to the point where their dynamic _probably_ goes the same as most people’s do. There was no doubting it, Hyunggu was definitely _his_ hybrid – but Yuto felt like it was more than that. Hyunggu was _everything._

He decides to pay it no mind though, but wonders if he should do something to symbolise their commitment to eachother. He guesses he _should_ bring it up with Hyunggu but doesn’t want him to think that Yuto is suddenly _for_ something he’s been so _against_ all this time.

He tries to push it out of his head, and explores the apartment like Hyunggu is currently. It’s small, reminiscent of the place he had left behind in Busan. 2 rooms, the same setup that Hyunggu had, with a bedroom and kitchenette in one room and a bathroom in the other. It doesn’t feel dingy, doesn’t feel like he’s gonna get murdered if he leaves the door unlocked overnight on accident, doesn’t feel like Hyunggu’s gonna be taken from him in the dead of night. It feels more like _home_ already, and maybe that’s because Hyunggu is here with him from the beginning. Maybe Hyunggu _is_ his home.

It takes them a few hours, but they eventually get all of their boxes and bags into the main living space, and it takes them a _little_ bit of time to dig out some bedding, setting up for the night just in time for Hyunggu to pass out. Yuto has no choice but to sort him out for bed whilst he’s still sleeping, opting to just get him out of his clothes rather than changing them, because the poor kid would boil if he didn’t. Yuto doesn’t bother to change properly either, stripping himself down to his underwear before joining Hyunggu in bed.

Hyunggu blushes so _much_ the next morning, waking up to Yuto’s bare chest, that he’s surprised he doesn’t melt. He doesn’t mind though, absentmindedly running his fingers across the crevices of Yuto’s torso.

“Guess you don’t mind this then” Yuto _smirks_ as he pulls the younger in for a series of quick kisses.

“Could do it everyday”

“Why don’t we then”. _Well. That couldn’t have gone any better._

They _both_ stay in bed for way longer than is normal for them, before Yuto makes them both get up so they can sort their belongings out.  They’re at it basically all day, until they can happily say that it feels like they’ve moved in – that their lives now existed between these four walls. Then, after spending _hours_ sorting out a workspace for himself, Yuto begins the tedious process of changing the addresses on various documents. He almost doesn’t, because if the government knew where people lived, and corruption is _definitely_ a thing that exists, it wasn’t impossible that anyone could get hold of the information. Meaning that if someone found out about Hyunggu’s status as a magic user, it wouldn’t be _too hard_ to find him – and then kill him.

After he finishes changing the addresses on some of the more key pieces of documentation (his driving license, their taxes, and his car insurance), he begins to look for something to do. Truthfully, he wants to actually pay some lip service to his past thoughts about hybrid protection. He didn’t want to do anything crazy, or dangerous, like busting Trafficking Rings whilst they were still in operation, but instead opting to sign up to volunteer at a local hybrid shelter – not needing to worry about _who_ ran it, because the **only** people who ran these were also committed to this cause. On his application, he feels the need to specify that he isn’t a hybrid himself, but has someone _special_ in his life who is, who has been through enough himself that he now feels a need to help, offering his computing skills where he felt appropriate. Within about an hour, his application is accepted, and he receives an email from someone called _Changgu_ inviting him to come down the next day. He considers asking Hyunggu to come with him, but decides better of it – but he still needs to tell him that he’s going.

“Hyunggu?” he calls into the apartment, immediately hearing the sound of Hyunggu padding over from the bathroom door. He comes over to Yuto, wearing nothing _but_ his underwear (Yuto blushes so much), and seats himself on Yuto’s lap, nuzzling into his neck affectionately.

“Yes?” he says.

“Put some clothes on and then I’ll tell you” Yuto responds, giggling. Hyunggu does as he’s told.

“Tell me then”, Hyunggu _whines_ from the other side of the room, after he puts something on. Over their time together, Yuto has _definitely_ noticed that Hyunggu has a penchant for 2 things: the colour yellow, and really short shorts. Not that Yuto is complaining. _Boy has nice legs, alright._  

“I’m going to a hybrid shelter tomorrow” Yuto says, not exactly understanding the connotations of what he just said. “I’m going to volunteer”, he corrects himself, based on the sheer look of terror that just flushed across Hyunggu’s face.

“ _OH!_ For a second then you had me thinking that you were going to give me up or something”

“Why would I do that, baby?”

“No idea. I’m the best, right”

“Of course”, Hyunggu goes back to nuzzling into Yuto’s neck at this. “What time are you going?”

“About 1. Not sure how long I’m gonna be, and I don’t think they’d mind If you came with”, Yuto completely going against what he literally just told himself.

“Sure, I’ll come with”

“I’ll email the shelter then”

He opens his email, and replies to the email previously received from _Changgu._

**_Changgu,_ **

**_I was just wondering if it was alright if I bought my boyfriend, Hyunggu (the hybrid I mentioned in my application), with me tomorrow – he said he was interested in volunteering too._ **

**_Adachi Yuto._ **

The reply was almost instantaneous.

**_Yuto,_ **

**_Yeah that’s fine! Anyone is welcome (and we have very few volunteers anyway). See you two tomorrow!_ **

**_Yeo Changgu._ **

As it turns out, Changgu is actually an _angel._ He’s an ex-chaebol, outcasted by (but still connected to) his family because of his views on humanity, and uses his connections to keep his little shelter and organisation running. He talks very highly of his own hybrid, a Chinese cat hybrid called _Yan An,_ rescued from a trafficking ring by his own organisation a couple of years ago. It’s not just _Yan An_ that he talks highly of either, he talks highly of all of his volunteers – Wooseok, Jinho, Hwitaek (“it’s _Hui!_ ”), and Shinwon, and the four Hybrids currently in the shelter – Jisung, Soonyoung, Seungkwan, and Jooheon.

They meet Wooseok first, talking to Jisung, the larger than life squirrel hybrid. They’re fast friends, quickly finding out that _Jinho_ is both short, and Wooseok’s boyfriend of a couple years. “Basically everyone in this place is gay”, Changgu jokes, referencing that there is most definitely a romantic dimension to his relationship with Yan An. Then, they meet JInho, who is actually short, and not just against Wooseok’s giant figure (Wooseok basically envelops Jinho when they hug, and Yuto finds that adorable).  He’s the oldest of everyone there too, and quickly gains the nickname _cutest tiny hyung._ Jinho _acts_ like he hates it.

Then, they (finally), meet Yan An. He’s in the common room, where all the hybrids hang out, chatting heartily with a dog hybrid, who turns out to be Shinwon. Changgu calls them over, and Yan An _bounds_ over, letting himself be hugged by Changgu – they very clearly love eachother a lot. Shinwon is chatty, and takes great interest in getting to know Yuto and Hyunggu. Yan An, on the other hand, isn’t quite as talkative, still probably a little nervous about the new people, but is affectionate all the same. “Once he gets comfortable, you wont get him to shut up. Isn’t that right?” Changgu says, snaking an arm around Yan An’s waist. He only nods in response.

Shinwon also talks of a guy called Hongseok, but leaves their relationship mostly undefined. Hyunggu recognises the name, but doesn’t give it a second thought.

Hyunggu gets introduced to the other hybrids in the shelter by Soonyoung, a tabby hybrid. Jisung, the squirrel hybrid, came here on his own accord, running from an abusive situation, and is already bonding with a guy called Minho for the cause of taking him in. Seungkwan, another cat hybrid, was brought back here by a previous owner – something that Hyunggu doesn’t understand, because Seungkwan is _really_ nice and _really_ cute. Jooheon, a dog hybrid, and Soonyoung have both been in the shelter for around the same amount of time, both of them being rescued from the same ring before they even knew of Yan An’s existence. They’re close, and Hyunggu _gets_ that. They’ve obviously been through a lot together. All in all, they’re nice and he already feels like he can call them his _friends_.

Whilst Hyunggu is being introduced to the residents, Yuto meets Hwitaek (“ _again,_ it’s Hui!”), the IT guy. Hui explains what needs to be done, like doing background checks on people interested in adopting the shelter occupants. Yuto asks if it would be any help if he could redo their website for them, because in his _expert_ opinion, he thinks it could use an update. Hui agrees, and they begin working on a design. They agree to share the workload because at end of the day, they both had work to do.

Hui talks about a guy called _Hyojong_ a lot, and judging by their brief phone conversation, they are a little more than friends.

Being a volunteer is easy, at least here, all that’s really required of them is that they sit with the occupants, give them someone to talk to, and to cook them meals in the evenings. Shelter occupants are allowed to come and go as they please, but most just stay in unless they want to go to the convienience store or something. It’s more of a half way house than anything, bridging the gap between prior situations and a happier future.

When Shinwon goes home, they meet Hongseok. Hyunggu is rendered speechless.

_It’s his old boss, the owner of the convienience store that he worked at back in Busan._ So, that’s why he recognises the name.

“Hongseok?” Hyunggu squeaks out, hiding partially behind Yuto.

“Hyunggu!” Hongseok says, smiling. “I’d thought I’d never see you again. After all that _stuff_ happened, I was so worried you two wouldn’t have made it.”

“Got caught up in the witch hunts too?” Jinho asks. Hyunggu’s brain goes into _overdrive. They know. They know. They know. They know. **They know. THEY KNOW.**_

“Don’t kill me. _please.”_ Hyunggu pleads with Jinho and the rest of the group, looking at Yuto in desperation. Yuto doesn’t do anything though, he knows whats gonna happen now.

“We wont.” Jinho says, a fond smile stretching across his face. “Most of us are magic users too. I can read minds, Changgu is a hydromancer, Hongseok is an electomancer, and Hui is a _witch.”_

_Witch_. The most ‘dangerous’ kind of Magic User. Hui doesn’t seem dangerous though, currently attached to someone that Yuto presumes (and _hopes_ ) is Hyojong. “That’s Hyojong”, Jinho says, almost like he could read Yuto’s mind or-

Wait. He can. Jinho laughs. Nobody (but Yuto or Jinho) gets why.

In all honesty, he saw Hui trip over his own _feet_ earlier. So yeah, not really a threat.

“Hi”, Hyojong says, approaching the group. “I’m Hyojong but I _think_ Jinho might have already told you that”

“He’s a necromancer” Wooseok says.

“I could have said that _myself”_ Hyojong whines. Theres something about this group that already feels _comfortable,_ like they’ve just found a solid group of friends. It’s easy as they say goodbye to Shinwon and Hui, leaving with their respective _partners_ (if you could even say that about Hongseok), and they go back inside.

Hyunggu spends the rest of their day chatting with the other hybrids. This is the first time he’s really properly interacted with hybrids other than himself, and it feels _nice._ He knows that Yuto understands him, but these guys have experience that Yuto couldn’t have. It’s a different sort of connection, but by no means more or less important. They don’t actually talk about _being_ hybrids at all though, they just instinctively know what each twitch, each change in body language, means. He wouldn’t _dare_ press Yan An into talking about his time in a ring, knowing that poor kid is probably traumatised.

Until Yan An brings it up himself.

“Yuto told me about how you met, you know?” he begins, voice softer than Hyunggu ever thought was possible. “You’re pretty lucky” his voice _wobbles._ “I’m really happy you didn’t get caught up in it. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone” he sounds _genuine._ If he thought that Changgu was an angel, then Yan An must be the _king_ of the angels. “also, don’t call me Yan An. Too formal. Most people just call me Yannie”

“okay, Yannie” Hyunggu beams in his direction. He considers adding a ‘hyung’ to it – but then doesn’t. He doesn’t call _anyone_ hyung. Nobody seems to mind though.

It’s not until later, that either of them realise that the only two people who are neither a magic user nor a hybrid, are Wooseok and Yuto – 2 out of 10. Either they’ve gotten pretty lucky, because Yuto is essentially done with most of the human population by this point, or he just drew those sorts of people to him. He didn’t mind either way. Baseless Hatred had forced them from their home, before destroying it completely, same for Hongseok and Shinwon. Who knows how much damage its done to Yan An. Who knows whats happened to Jinho and Wooseok purely because they’re _together_ and one is a magic user and one is not. He wonders if any of them, apart from Hongseok and Shinwon, had run from anything – ran for their lives in the middle of the night, locking a door to a place that holds memory upon memory, only to never return.

From then on, both of them spend a fair amount of time at the shelter, getting to know the hybrids a little better. Jisung goes home with Minho about a month after they start going, but they’re still in contact. They’re doing well. Minho is similar to Yuto, in that he doesn’t see the _point_ in collaring Jisung at all. Some guy, Mingyu, came in and started seeing Seungkwan regularly. They take in more hybrids as ones leave, essentially meaning that theres a constant flow of people to talk to and get to know. Hyunggu likes that. He likes feeling like he’s making a difference to people. He’s making new friends, making new _memories._ He knows that Hongseok feels the same way – he’d planted the idea of ‘collecting’ memories in Hyunggu’s head when he first started working for the convienience store.

Having Hongseok around was _weird._ It was almost like a little piece of his life back in Busan had followed him to Seoul. He liked it. They were strictly professional when he was working for Hongseok, but now it was a whole different world. He got to see Hongseok in his most pure, unfiltered form, usually involving Shinwon _draping_ himself across his lap. Those two were almost as close as the rest of the various couples within their little group (of 10), and it was a marvel, in a way, that they still claimed that they were just “best friends”. _Fat fucking chance._ All of them had seen them kiss, properly _on the lips_ , at least 10 times each. They say “I love you” to eachother all the time. Hyojong has also heard some _less than innocent_ noises coming from their bedroom whenever they stay up drinking. He proved it with an audio recording, because Hyojong has no shame apparently, and since then the two of them have denied it completely. And they share a bed. Just how couple-y can you get without actually being a couple?

So yeah. Nobody believed that they weren’t absolutely in love with eachother. They don’t think that Shinwon and Hongseok believe it either.

Both Hyunggu and Yuto get to learn about each and every person in _very intricate_ detail. They find that Wooseok is only younger than Hyunggu by about 4 days, and then they piece together that Wooseok (the youngest), is in a relationship with Jinho (the oldest). They don’t know what to do with that information though. Whilst Hui _is_ a witch, he’s pretty bad at it, and Hyunggu takes it upon himself to to teach him the few basic pyromancies that he’s perfected. It doesn’t take Hui long to get them perfected either. Then he moves onto the harder, more _impressive_ stuff, like smoke manipulation – but makes sure he does it outside, so Hui doesn’t burn his apartment building down. These take him a fair amount of time to perfect, but Hyunggu doesn’t mind a bit.

He does find it weird though, using magic so _openly._ He wouldn’t have even dreamed of doing this before he met Hui, or Hyojong, or Shinwon, Wooseok, Yannie, Changgu, Hongseok – before he met _Yuto._

Yuto is the reason he’s here. Yuto saw something _special_ in him. Something special enough, that he dare challenge 3 men in order to keep him safe, before he even _knew_ what he looked like or _who_ he was. The moment he did, it was almost like sparks flew, and all his roads lead back to him. He can’t even imagine being without Yuto, and he doesn’t think he’s ever going to need to. Yuto’s stayed by his side through everything.

Within a few months, they’ve properly settled in. Hyunggu visits the shelter most days whilst Yuto stays home to work on the shelter’s new website alongside his other work, his money even better than before. On his down days, Yuto goes too, only to spend most of it chatting with Hui in his office. They have a new group of friends, their first real group. It’s _nice._ It’s _comfortable_.

Yuto was more comfortable than he has ever been.

They plan a small celebration for the end of June, mainly to celebrate Jinho and Wooseok’s third anniversary together, but also to celebrate themselves, coming together in the way that they did. They hang fairy lights on the balcony of Hui and Hyojong’s apartment, crack open some beers, and talk the night away. All 10 of them. _Together._

They agree that if anything happens, if they get put in danger, they’d run together. They were stronger together. They always will be stronger as a unit of 10, rather than 4 couples, and 2 people who couldn’t define what they were _yet._ They’re rag-tag, confused, misunderstood, and most of all oppressed as a unit – and that’s how it was for them.

That was only after about one drink though, and as all 10 of them drank more, it got a little crazy. Yannie was swinging _violently_ between hyperactivity and sobbing, Changgu doing his best to keep up. Jinho was crying over Wooseok more than he ever thought was possible. Wooseok was doing the same over Jinho. Hui and Hyojong were just _giddy_ and the most in love that they’d ever been. Shinwon and Hongseok _finally_ admitted that they weren’t together, per se, but were definitely more than friends – drawing a slurred “no shit” from Jinho. But it was _fun,_ and all of them loved it with everything that made them human – not hybrids, not magic users, _human._ That’s all they were at the end of the day.

It’s 1am, and the city is silent. Hyunggu is asleep on one of Yuto’s shoulders, Jinho resting against the other. They’re safe – apart from some magic-user related incidents – happy, and content.

Yuto looks at Hyunggu, trying to work out if he is just a figment of his imagination. He didn’t realise that the trip to the bin he took that night, how he took on Hyunggu’s attackers and _won_ , started all of this. Doesn’t realise that they’re going to make their universe better _together_. And it wasn’t just the two of them now.

Yuto came back to Busan tending a broken heart, a broken family, no life, no friends, he had nothing. Hyunggu was his shining light in an otherwise darkened world. Hyunggu brought his world so many things: colour, fun, happiness, _life._ Not to mention his improved world view.

_I love you. I love you. I love you,_ Yuto thinks, saying the words quietly as if they were a holy prayer.

Yuto is, and _definitely_ is, the most comfortable he has ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> up next: yan an / changgu backstory (pre warning for dark content and mature themes)
> 
> i really hope that someone gets the joke that i made in the title of this.....


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